Eoghain Ward

THE adage of horses for courses is fitting when looking back over the career of the veteran performer Enniskillen. Peter Maher’s charge, who made his competitive debut as a six-year-old at Durrow almost seven years to the day, has reserved all of his best performances for Punchestown. The Witness Box gelding added a fifth career success around the Kildare course when claiming the Quinns Of Baltinglass farmers’ hunt race on Sunday for the third year in succession.

Maher’s two representatives in the race dominated the betting before the off, and while the predicted one-two for his Caragh yard did materialise, it did not come in the order expected, as Benny Walsh galvanised the 13-year-old to defeat his younger stable companion and odds-on favourite, Alpha Male, by two lengths.

The Albert Weld-owned gelding will now aim to defend his Ladies Cup crown at the Punchestown Festival in April and Maher reported Alpha Male as being bound for the Bishopscourt Cup.

LOCAL SUCCESS

Defeat aboard Alpha Male had denied Jamie Codd a treble on the card, having gone on to secure victory in the final two races, beginning with the success of newcomer Caravation in the Dooley Group Insurance Group mares’ maiden.

The William Flood-owned Presenting mare always caught the eye in running under the 2016 champion, and once getting the better of the twice-placed Berboru early in the home straight, the bay mare could soon be the called the winner, ultimately crossing the line a comfortable four lengths clear of her 11 rivals.

“We were delighted with that, she jumped great and galloped all the way to the line. We couldn’t be happier,” reported the locally based winning handler Philip Dempsey.

Codd moved onto the 23-winner mark for the season when teaming up with the Harry Kelly-trained Oscar Contender in the Dublin Products Limited older geldings’ maiden. Unfortunate not to get off the mark in five outings for Willie Murphy, which included a final fence departure at Cragmore 12-months earlier when chasing home Foxhunters favourite Burning Ambition, the Oscar gelding made light work of an 11-month absence to prevail by six lengths from Knockinroe third Gigiplan Two Seven.

Jimmy Kelly, brother of the Tipperary-based winning handler indicated that the Noel and Mary Walsh-owned seven-year-old would ultimately head to the track.

“He is a nice honest big chasing horse that loves soft ground. We might stay point-to-pointing for the minute to give him some confidence as he was unlucky to get a few falls and then we will look at going to the track. Jamie (Codd) gave him a peach of a ride as always.”

The 18-year-old James Murphy only began race riding in December. However ,the thrill of his first success aboard Bothair Clei in the Mongey Communications open lightweight for novice riders, is sure to get him through the hours of studying which lie ahead for the Leaving Certificate student.

The Cork native impressed in the saddle, as he kept a cool head when Mart Lane raced clear of the field, before steadily reeling in the long-time leader in the final three furlongs.

Having been asked for maximum effort, the 13-year-old Snurge gelding powered clear to defeat Coolnagorna Giggs by two and a-half lengths.

FAMILY

It was a real family success for the Murphys, as the bay gelding is owned by the jockey’s mother Geraldine and trained by her husband Daniel, with the proud father praising the organising hunt for running an open lightweight confined to novice riders.

“There were three open lightweights on today and this was the one race for novice riders. That is why we came here even though Kildorrery is only half an hour away from us.”

Of his stable stalwart, Murphy added: ”He has been a great horse for us and that is his 10th win.

“We will run him away in a few more opens this season and then we might look at the hunter chase in Fairyhouse later on.”

The day had begun well for Donnchadh Doyle and the Monbeg team, bringing to a close a week which saw them consign the most expensive five-year-old point-to-pointer to be sold at public auction when Dlauro was bought by Joseph O’Brien for £410,000 at the Cheltenham sales.

Back in familiar territory for the Wexford native, saddling his first four-year-old of the year, Madiba Passion held on to record a narrow victory in the Goffs four-year-old maiden.

The €50,000 acquisition from the Derby Sale appeared to have victory sewn-up after jumping the last under Barry O’Neill. However by the time the line arrived, the Al Namix gelding had just a head to spare over the unlucky in-running Ontheropes.

A second consecutive winner in the race to carry the Monbeg Syndicate colours following-on from the victory of Bitingthebullet 12 months earlier, the French-bred was also reported to be sales bound.

EXPECTANT

“He is a smart horse and had been working well at home, so we were coming here expecting a big run,” remarked Doyle of his eighth winner of the campaign.

“He was out on his own a long time and Barry (O’Neill) said that he was doing nothing in front from that last.”

There was further drama in the Cavan Developments five-year-old geldings’ maiden, as the Jerry Cosgrave-trained Bridle Loanan, looked set for victory with only the final fence to negotiate, only to over jump that obstacle and crumble on landing.

That presented a fortuitous victory to the Michael Cave-owned Push The Tempo, as he crossed the line under Rory Devine, 12 lengths in front of the once previously raced Noflashback.

The winning Gold Well gelding was putting in a much improved performance in any case, having failed to finish his opening five starts before finishing ninth at Tyrella three weeks earlier, an improvement winning handler Warren Ewing attributed to ulcers treatment.

“We treated him for ulcers and he is a lot happier in himself and all his work has been better. He will go for a winners’ race now if he is not sold beforehand.”

Family line

WILLIAM Flood of Boardsmill Stud was on hand to welcome in Caravation, the latest winner that he has bred from a family line that he has had a long and successful association with. The Presenting mare, an own-sister to the 2009 Irish National victor Niche Market, is out of a track winning Jurado mare, Juresse. She was also bred by Flood out of Last Princess, the granddam of Sunday’s winner, who is also responsible for producing the 20-time winner Strath Royal, whose list of victories includes the 1998 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.